Monday, January 28, 2008

EW asked this year's Oscar nominees how they felt about the uncertainty surrounding this year's ceremony:

"I do not know what is 'bummer.'" - Charmingly French Best Actress nominee Marion Cotillard, on whether it's a bummer that her first nomination comes during a year in which the Oscar ceremony is in jeopardy.

They also ran a profile on each major category. Here's their piece on Cotillard:

MARION COTILLARDLa Vie en Rose

Age32 Role Legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf. Oscar History First nomination. Karaoke Dreamin' As a teenager in Orléans, France, Cotillard used to lipsynch to Maddona's "Material Girl." "With my microphone, I was the pop star of my bedroom!" she laughs. That clowning turned out to be good practice for her uncanny performance in La Vie, which she approached with scientific precision. "I took all the songs and I calculated the length of the notes, of the silences, and how she would breathe. Then I did it again and again and again," Cotillard says. She worked equally hard to nail the way Piaf stood on stage while belting out those tunes. "Even if on screen to you don't see my hands or feet, the whole body is involved." Up NextShe sings - for real this time - in Rob Marshall's Nine, based on the Broadway musical adapted from Federico Fellini's 8 1/2.

Questions, suggestions, insults? Click Here To Write MeDisclaimer: This blog is in no way connected personally or professionally to Marion Cotillard. The blog was created in July 2007 and is geared toward film admirers of Ms. Cotillard and her work, particularly in "La Vie en Rose." Thanks for visiting and enjoy your stay here.

Praise

"Marion Cotillard’s feral portrait of the French singer Édith Piaf as a captive wild animal hurling herself at the bars of her cage is the most astonishing immersion of one performer into the body and soul of another I’ve ever encountered in a film." Stephen Holden, The New York Times.

"Marion Cotillard goes to the front of the line for every Best Actress award out there...Cotillard, lip-syncing Piaf's songs and digging into her soul with gale-force urgency, gives a performance for the ages." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

"Helen Mirren hasn’t been given her Oscar yet and already I’ve seen the first shoo-in for next year’s Best Actress list: the stupendous, heartbreaking Marion Cotillard whose Edith Piaf is nothing less than monumental, a performance for the ages."Stephen Schaefer, The Boston Herald."I'm not usually in the business of hailing a performance as 'award-worthy,' but why is La Vie en Rose, with its furious turn by Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf — less a performance than a possession — coming out in early summer?" Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.

"In La Vie En Rose...the acting achievement by 31-year-old Marion Cotillard can be compared to Oscar-winning turns by Jamie Foxx in Ray, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote, and Helen Mirren in The Queen as a remarkable portrait so uncannily rich and detailed it defies description...Screen acting just doesn't get much better than this...She's flawless, even if her movie isn't." Peter Hammond, Maxim.

"If the goal of acting is to completely lose yourself in the personality of another, Cotillard gives a master class. You walk out of the movie feeling you’ve witnessed an individual going through a profound physical and spiritual transformation. It kind of explains why the ancient Greeks regarded theater as a form of religious worship." Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star.

"Maybe you've heard that the French actress Marion Cotillard gives a great performance in this Edith Piaf biopic. But that over-flogged adjective doesn't really convey how great her performance is. Assisted by expertly designed makeup and prosthetics, Cotillard disappears into the melancholy spirit of the iconic Parisian singer; and with unflagging energy and strikingly precise lip-synchronization, she provides a fresh illumination of Piaf's timeless songs...Cotillard's transformation into the diminutive, birdlike Piaf — who was not conventionally beautiful, beyond the beauty of talent — is so complete that you strive in vain to detect the attractive actress within the uncannily conjured persona...Cotillard's Edith is never less than radiantly convincing...And thanks to Cotillard, Piaf herself, in all her troubled, cantankerous glory, is brought back whole for one final bow." Kurt Loder, MTV.

"Marion Cotillard in 'La Vie en rose' was absolutely astonishing, and the synthesis of the performance with the whole film is superb. As much as inhabiting Piaf, she was also creating a creature, and I thought that was astonishing and inspiring. One of the most remarkable things I've ever seen." Cate Blanchett.

[after winning his BAFTA for Best Actor]:"Never mind all the other qualities in her astonishing performance. For sheer balls alone, I feel Marion should have this award as well." Daniel Day-Lewis.

"[She] does an old person trying to be young, instead of what everyone does – a young person trying to be old...It's a stunning performance." George Clooney.

"Not only did she craft a flawless impersonation of a famous personality, but Marion's humanity elevated her performance to a devastatingly honest and yet seemingly effortless personification of integrity and grace. To me, this is more than just a great performance; it's a document of this actress's overwhelming ability to love." Ryan Gosling.

[describing Marion's performance]:"Your portrayal of this character is, just, it's like what I was saying earlier to Daniel Day Lewis, transformative; like you transcended, you opened yourself up and poured her in...Another transcendent performance." Oprah Winfrey.

[when asked who he expects to hand the Oscar to in 2008]:"Marion Cotillard! Did you not see her in 'La Vie En Rose?' She’s transforming! That’s it!" Forest Whitaker.

"Simply the best performance ever." Rosie O'Donnell.

"What a performance by Marion Cotillard. What a story. I felt as if I were actually watching Edith Piaf on screen. For me, her transformation from young to old Edith Piaf was unprecedented in film...Not only did I cry, I sat there with my mouth hanging open at the bravery of Marion's performance. If they give her the Oscar on Academy Award night, they might as well throw the Kodak Theatre in with it. She deserves it all."Marlee Matlin.

"I'm sure you're going to win an Oscar. It is an extraordinary performance; just spectacular."Craig Ferguson.

"One of the greatest performances on film ever." Trevor Nunn.

"I've never seen a performance that's so elastic. She transformed through different ages and time -- I thought the physical changes were remarkable." Julia Stiles.

"Marion Cotillard gave one of the most inspired performances ever — yeah, maybe even better than Meryl Streep!"Ellen Huang.

[Best Actress should go to...]:"With absolute certainty, Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose — a tour-de-force performance, one of my favorites of the last five years easily. As much as I love Ellen Page, [Cotillard] blows away the competition in her category."Jill Bennett.

Blog

This blog will focus exclusively on Marion Cotillard's path to the Academy Awards. It is not a fan site, per se, since its existence is limited to a predetermined time (i.e. the blog's life will end next February, 2008). Although I'll surely go on tangents regarding other films and other artists, the purpose is to keep up to date with the latest reviews, interviews and/or accolades of La Vie En Rose and Mlle. Cotillard. I was inspired by Marion's performance enough to chronicle this interesting journey she's on. I truly haven't been moved by a screen performance like this in a long, long time. I'm aware that her success and accomplishments in La Vie En Rose stand alone--in other words, I'm sure "awards" don't really make a performance great or timeless and are tangential to the artistic process. That being said, it seems like a fun idea to follow this crazy process from beginning to end. I hope you enjoy your stay here.